A 31-year-old man attacked by a protective mother grizzly bear in the Ghost wilderness area on the weekend is expected to recover from his injuries, according to an Alberta government spokesman. Around 8 p.m. on Saturday, two men on off-highway vehicles were injured when they crested a hill in the Ghost public land use zone and surprised a […]

Calgary’s fire department is seeking council’s approval for a $500,000 safety boom that would span the Bow River and — hopefully — deter inexperienced recreational paddlers from entering the rapids of the notorious Harvie Passage. According to the city’s new four-year budget document, the six-figure request was triggered by an “increase in water rescue calls” at the passage and is required to “ensure the safety of the recreational users of the Bow River.”

MILLARVILLE — Ranchers, acreage owners and town residents in the foothills say they feel threatened as grizzly bears move eastward — with some landowners even asking the province for the right to shoot the species that’s still considered at risk in Alberta. They’re concerned they are losing cows and calves to grizzly bears frequenting their properties, rancher Gary Akins said.

EDMONTON — Two days after the auditor general criticized a report on oilsands environmental monitoring as inaccurate and misleading, a followup report has been released claiming all is well. In his October audit, Merwan Saher slammed the initial oilsands report for being 15 months late and missing “key information.” He also found management of the monitoring program projects to be “weak,” lacking detailed work plans, timelines, progress reports and reviews.

Two grizzly bear cubs were killed after they were struck by a vehicle early Wednesday morning near Dead Man’s Flats. Around 6 a.m., wildlife officials with Fish and Wildlife and Alberta Parks were called to the exit ramp just east of the mountain town and found two dead male cubs, which were only about 15 kilograms each. They searched for their mother, but have been unable to find any signs that she was also hit.

A grizzly bear that killed a sheep hunter in Kananaskis Country on the weekend will be left in the area with her cub, after it was ruled a defensive attack. On the weekend, Calgarian Rick Cross was walking alone along the Picklejar Creek trail when he was attacked and killed by the bear.

Landowners west of Calgary are gearing up for what could be a protracted battle with the Alberta government over its bid to build a massive, off-stream reservoir in Springbank to mitigate future flooding in communities downstream. “We want the project taken off the table in favour of upstream options,” says Ryan Robinson, whose family settled in the area nearly about a century ago, ranching and farming the land for generations.

Lea Randall pushes aside the bulrushes and wades into a small wetland, where she searches for northern leopard frogs. She immediately sees six of the spotted, green frogs with white bellies. Some swim along the top of the water, while others sit on small twigs or green leaves.

A fire advisory has been issued for the forests around Calgary, including the Rockies, as continued hot and dry conditions push the wildfire hazard to extreme. No new permits will be issued, although existing permits are still valid. Campfires are still allowed in the area, but could be restricted if conditions get any worse.

The skies are smoky from Banff to Calgary, but crews are holding the line on a wildfire on the edge of Banff National Park. Dubbed the Spreading Creek fire, the 6,800-hectare blaze — including about 2,500 hectares within the park — was sparked by a lightning strike July 3.

Across southern Alberta on Friday, some communities were assessing flood damages while others were still anxiously waiting for the waters to rise. In Lethbridge County, officials are expecting high stream flows on the Little Bow River to wash out as many as five bridge crossings.

Evacuations likely won’t take place in Medicine Hat as river flows are expected to be much lower than previously anticipated. In a release issued Wednesday afternoon, the city says projections from Alberta Environment show the South Saskatchewan River is expected to hit 2,400 cubic metres per second by Saturday morning.

Chatting with MLA Craig Coolahan about the Alberta Heritage Fund this week, a more burning topic of public debate sparked up. Should the Alberta government run its own pot stores? The NDP MLA for Calgary-Klein said the topic keeps resurfacing, particularly as the deadline for public feedback on Alberta’s new marijuana framework wraps up Friday. […]

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